Stronger than Words
by SeaxStars64
Summary: AU. Maka had kept hearing them fight, watching at the sidelines while her family was torn apart. One day, her parents got in their worst fight yet. So she did the only thing she could think of: run away. So, when a certain red-eyed boy saves her from what could be certain death, and takes her to his apartment, many deep truths may be revealed, as well as a bond stronger than words.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone! So this is my first fanfic so if it sucks, please tell me what you did and didn't like about it! I've read a lot of fanfics and just decided to make my own so I hope you enjoy it!

Summary: AU. Maka had kept hearing them fight, watching at the sidelines while her family was torn apart. One day, her parents got in their worst fight yet. So she did the only thing she could think of: run away. So, when a certain red-eyed boy saves her from what could be certain death, and takes her to his apartment, many deep truths may be revealed, as well as a bond stronger than words.

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or anything else I mention in this (books, movies, songs, etc.)

**Chapter 1**

She was running, subconsciously, not knowing where she was going or what she was doing. She had been running for awhile, around thirty minutes? She just had to get out of there. It had been happening over and over again, repeating itself more often than not. This time was the worst, this time it was over. She could still remember those terrible words like it was just a second ago.

_Flashback:_

_They didn't notice her walk in, like they always don't._

"_...I know you did! Stop denying it!"_

"_I swear she didn't mean anything to me, she was just asking me a question!"_

"_This is the sixth time I've caught you making out with another woman!"_

"_And I keep telling you, I was not making out with any of them!"_

_She took a deep breath. "Just admit you did now, and stop doing it."_

_Their arguments were getting worse. They were becoming more harmful and often._

"_But I didn't!"_

"_ADMIT IT NOW OR ELSE!" This time she yelled with so much force and emotion that it made the teen and her lying father flinch._

"_... I uh…" He hesitated, giving the girl's mother the answer she knew all along._

"_THAT'S IT!" She yelled, tears falling from her eyes, "I'm leaving." She whispered hoarsely, meaning to say it louder, but she was too heartbroken and angry. Her mother turned around and walked to the room she once shared with her soon-to-be ex-husband. _

_A tear ran down the teen's face as she ran upstairs, to her room, and cried. "Why do they fight all the time? Why does Papa have to cheat? Isn't Mama enough? Why can't we be happy together like old times? This can't be happening! She wouldn't leave me..." She subconsciously said aloud. "I can't take it anymore!" So, she slipped past her sulking, cheating father and tiptoed outside. From there she ran as fast as she could away from home, no, from her feared nightmare._

_End of Flashback_

(A/N: Yeah I made her parents separate when she was 15 rather than when she was little, hope that's not a problem.)

As she was thinking about this, she started running across the street, when something happened. Something, no, _someone _slammed into her, causing her to fly for a second, then roll to the side of the street she was running towards a second ago. She immediately tried to stand up once she stopped rolling, but was too dizzy and fell before she finally got up. The stranger stood up as well.

"You idiot! What were you _thinking_?" Someone yelled. It sounded like the voice came from right in front of her. She said nothing, and dusted herself off. She then studied the guy. What struck her first was his hair. It was as white as snow, with unnatural shape. He wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans, and looked around her age, tired, and furious.

"Hey! Were you even paying attention to what you were doing?!" The teen yelled again.

"Huh?" She said, obviously unaware of what had happened.

"You were almost ran over by that truck! You just ran right in front of it!" The white haired teenager jutted out his arm towards the truck that was almost out of sight. She just noticed another thing about his appearance when she looked at his eyes. They were a dark, crimson red.

"I was?" She asked, seeming quite calm for almost being in such a terrifying situation.

"Yeah… Are you okay?" The teen asked, lowering his voice. He looked concerned. Suddenly she started feeling dizzy again, and fatigue caught up with her. She felt herself losing balance.

"I'm… fine…" She got the words out right before she collapsed.

**(Line break.)**

… _Where am I?_ She thought to herself as she sat up from the bed she had been sleeping on. _I must be in a room._ The room had yellowy-white walls, and not much in it except a bed, small table beside the bed, and a closet. She came to the conclusion that she was in a guest room, within someone's _home_.

"Hey, you're finally awake."

She turned her head towards the voice, to see the same boy from before. She was about to open her mouth to ask what happened, when he answered her without even needing to hear her question.

"You were running somewhere, almost got hit by a truck, collapsed, and now you're at my apartment." As he said this, she remembered the events that occurred. "Anyhow, would you like some water or…?"

"How long was I out for?"

"7 hours, which isn't enough. You should rest some more. It's 2 o'clock at night now," He said, a little fazed by her indirect 'no' to his question.

"No. I'm fine." She wasn't about to knowingly fall asleep in some guy's house. She knew all about men and their ways. That's when she realized she was far from home.

"Um, what city am I in?"

He looked surprised, and then he said, slowly, "How long were you running for?"

_What was she running _from_?_

"I don't know. It seemed like hours, but I couldn't have been running for that long,"

Still surprised, he said, "Well, you're in Death City."

It was her turn to look surprised. For a while, she didn't speak. She just kept looking down as she thought, '_I ran that far?_'

"So… What's your name?"

She hesitated, then answered, "Maka."

"Okay then Maka, I'm Soul. What city do you live in? I can take you home-"

"No," Maka said dryly.

His eyes widened. "Well how will you get home then?"

"I'm not going back." She looked down. "No matter what."

"Then where will you go?" Soul pushed, but she dodged the question.

"Why do you care? It's not your business."

"Well I can't just let you leave if you've got nowhere to stay." When he said this, she looked puzzled, wondering why he seemed to worry about her so much.

"Well you shouldn't worry about me, I'll just figure something out." Maka said, beginning to get frustrated.

Soul sighed. "Well, you can stay the night here, but-"

"What makes you think I want to stay here?" She said incredulously.

"Just stay, and we can figure out something tomorrow, okay?" She seemed to get the message: I'm not taking no as an answer. Plus, she did need somewhere to stay while she planned…

"Fine." She said. "But I'll be leaving soon, got it?"

"Whatever. If you need anything, I'll be down the hall, behind the left door," He said as he got up and left. She was somewhat relieved that she had somewhere to stay for a night, even if it was a boy's apartment. It was better than living with her horrible dad. But she was still wary of him, she wasn't going to let her guard down that easily.

**A/N:** In case you were wondering, this takes place in July, so there's no school for them at the moment. So besides the beginning, there wasn't much in the first chapter. Sorry that most of this was just dialogue, I wanted them to learn names and very little else. Tune in for more later! I'll try my absolute best to update and such. Please review and give me your thoughts! Peace :)


	2. Chapter 2

Stronger than Words

**A/N:** So here's the next chapter! I was a tiny bit busy this week, but no worries, because I'll be updating on weekends. Read on, and review after! :)

**Quick note**: This second chapter is mainly Soul's p.o.v., but still has some of Maka's thoughts. I forgot the name of what that is. I might look it up.

**Chapter 2**

_Soul_

Soul had woken up pretty early the next day, and decided to actually make breakfast since he had company. So he rolled out of bed, put on some pants, and walked out of the room, forgetting a shirt. As he went to the kitchen, he noticed that the door to the guest room was still closed. _She must still be asleep_, he guessed.

As he cooked pancakes, he thought about the girl sleeping in his guest room, and what he knew about her. Her name was Maka, she ran from wherever to some fields near Death City, she almost got ran over by a truck, and has the most beautiful emerald green eyes he'd ever seen. He denied the truth quite a lot in his daily life, but he wasn't going to deny that.

By the time he remembered he was making pancakes, they were just about to burn. "Crap!" He muttered as he took them off the pan and put them on a plate. After he put the pan in the sink, he walked over to the guest room and knocked on the door.

"Uh, Maka? You awake?" He said, but heard no response. "I'm gonna come in, okay?" He opened the door, walked in, and sat on a drawer next to the bed she slept on, and stared at her sleeping form, thinking of how mysterious she appeared. A minute later she started waking up, and sat up as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When Maka realized he was in the room, she immediately became more alert, and just stared at him tiredly with those pretty eyes of hers. It didn't take long for her to realize that he was, in fact, shirtless. Maka blushed and seemed to find great interest in her lap.

He noticed her blushing and looked down at himself. "Oh…" Force of habit. Then he awkwardly said, "I made pancakes, so go to the kitchen when you're ready to eat breakfast. So, I'm gonna go put on a shirt now…" She nodded (still red all over) and he retreated from the room. He heard her footsteps from his room, heading down the hall.

**. . .**

The whole time they ate breakfast, Maka stayed silent and looked at _everything _curiously. Like a kitten. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before, a thin, white collared t-shirt and a plaid skirt. Her pigtails were messy from sleep.

"Your place is kinda dirty," she blurted.

"... Huh?"

"If you live alone, it shouldn't be that hard to clean."

"Yeah, well, cleaning is boring."

Maka just nodded and asked to sit on the couch in his living room. Soul went to clean the dishes in the sink, and it was still silent the whole time. _Should I say something?_ He thought to himself.

"Hey, do you want something to drink?" He offered as he opened the fridge.

"Yes, please. Can I get water?"

"Uh, sure," He replied awkwardly. _Man, this is _so_ uncool. Why am I so awkward?_ He walked over to the living room to hand her the water she'd wanted. She took it gratefully with a small "thank you."

"So, what were you running from yesterday?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Home, wasn't that obvious?" She snapped. Her harsh tone surprised him, but not for longer than a few seconds out of understanding. After all, he knew it was probably still a sensitive subject for her. _But..._ He sat down on the opposite side of the couch from her. "Can you tell me why? It helps to talk about your problems," He asked. Maka raised an eyebrow at him.

"Family issues," She said. "I'm leaving it at that. I'm not going to tell some guy I just met my problems."

"Well that guy is giving you a place to stay for a while, not to mention all the extra stuff, like food." He said smugly.

"I'll repay you by cleaning your filthy house."

"Hey, it's not _filthy_. But you can clean it if you _really _want to. Girls are into that kind of stuff right? It'll be like my own maid-!" He said before his wishes were interrupted by a pigtailed teen.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The blonde teen said, losing what little resolve she had in seconds. She picked up the closest thing to her, in this case a pillow, and half yelled, "Chop!" as she threw it as his face.

"HAHA! What the he- OOMPH!" He began saying before he was pelted with his own couch pillow. "Oh I see how it is!" Soul declared before he grabbed the pillow off the ground and chucked it back at her. He was content with himself for a second, until she dodged the pillow and yelled, "HA! You're going to have to do better than that if you want to get-UMPH,"

"HAHAHAHA!" So, things continued like this as a pillow war took place within Soul's living room. Five minutes had passed with the two of them throwing pillows at one another, when things became especially interesting.

"You're all out of ammo!" Maka yelled, on the opposite side of the room with ALL the pillows. "What're you gonna do now?"

"Infiltrate!" Soul yelled back. They were pretty into the whole thing. "NEVER!" Maka stood up and ran towards him, but he sidestepped and put his foot out. So, the obvious outcome, Maka tripped, but as she was falling, she turned around and grabbed his wrist. _If I go down, you're coming with me!_ She thought to herself as they fell. Little did they know, a blue-haired, self proclaimed idiot had been outside the door, knocking on it repeatedly.

When they hit the ground, Soul was on top of Maka. He got up and hovered over her. "Heh, guess I got a little carried away. Are you okay?" He said as he inspected her face for any signs of pain.

"I'm okay." She said, staring up at Soul. They stayed there a few moments, staring, until they were interrupted by Blackstar as he entered the apartment through the open window.

"Hey Soul, why didn't you get the-EH? SOUL I KNOW YOU'RE DESPERATE AND WILL NEVER BE AS GREAT WITH GIRLS AS ME BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT WITH MAKA!" He exclaimed as he pulled Soul off of Maka. Maka sat up and blushed furiously while looking down.

"THAT WASN'T WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT ALL YOU IDIOT!" Soul yelled back, but then he thought about Blackstar's words. "Wait, you know Maka?" He said, confused.

**. . .**

After much confusion amongst everyone, they all sat down on the couch to talk. Soul decided to ask a question first. "So how do you two know each other?"

"We're childhood friends. He used to live in my old neighborhood before he moved a while back." Maka answered.

Blackstar went next. "So why are _you _here?"

"She needed a place to stay," Soul decided to answer.

"Why would you need somewhere to stay? Don't you live with your parents?" Blackstar said, confused.

"Not anymore." Maka answered coldly. "I ran away."

"WHAT!? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Not really."

"WHY?" He said unbelievingly. Maka was a star student, the goody-two shoes, definitely _not _a runaway. Still, she didn't say anything. Maka knew he would figure it out himself in seconds.

"Oh… Maka, did they finally…?" Blackstar said quietly (for him anyway). She nodded silently.

"Uh, hello? Still here," Soul huffed. "Someone please tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Sorry, bro. That's not up to me." Blackstar said.

"Heh, who knew Blackstar could be serious. He hasn't said a thing about being a-" Soul was cut off immediately.

"I AM STILL YOUR GOD, DON'T WORRY, BUT RIGHT NOW YOUR GOD MUST BE SERIOUS FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE BELOW HIM." The more sane two in the trio sweat-dropped, and thought the exact same thing: _He really is an idiot_.

**. . .**

After their little chat, the three of them went out to eat lunch. At first Maka didn't want to go because she didn't have any other clothes to wear but the tattered ones on her then, so Soul gave her one of his leather jackets to wear. Then he got it thrown back at him in a crumpled state. "Look through my closet and see if you like anything. We'll get you more clothes later."

"What is this, a store?"

"Geez… Just hurry up and pick something, would ya?"

"Yeah, yeah." She had settled on one of his old jackets that kind of fit her. It was black and yellow with some random design that Maka didn't understand, near the top corner.

Then they finally went out to lunch at some burger place. It was a nice reunion for the two childhood friends, happiness in the air, Blackstar standing on tables, Maka yelling at and threatening him to get down, and Soul laughing his ass off. Good times.

**A/N: **So, I hope you liked the chapter! Sorry it's kind of late, and not as good as the first, but I've got some stuff ahead for you guys, so just keep on readin'! I want your thoughts. Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Leave a review of your thoughts! I was thinking it might have been a bit rushed, but what do _you_ think? 'Til next time, peace! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Next chapter! I am so sorry about the late update! I am a little busy, so I give my apologies. Thank you all SO MUCH for all of your reviews! I read each and every one of them because they're very special to me and it makes me so happy to know that people actually enjoy my writing! I hope you will continue to read this story, as well as find entertainment in it. Here it is!

**Chapter 3**

_Maka_

Maka had always hated clothes shopping. She didn't like to stand around, try everything on, put stuff back, grab more, and repeat. But this time was different. She had gotten to go to a nearby mall with one of Soul's not-so-crazy friends, and at first she was very against meeting someone new, but Soul insisted Maka would like her, and he was right-for once. Yeah, as soon as Tsubaki and Maka met there was an immediate connection.

To say the least, they had hit it off very quickly, no awkward silences or awkwardity of any sort, excluding when Soul was watching them confusedly.

So, when Soul gave Tsubaki his credit card to use to buy Maka clothes and necessities to use while she stayed, Maka didn't dread it as much as usual. Although she did question Soul on his credit card, and insisted that it would be a hassle. He replied that she shouldn't worry about it, and that he "had his ways." She learned soon that Soul was a terrible liar, though she didn't push any further. It wasn't her business anyways.

_Maybe if I was never part of my parents' business to begin with... Mama wouldn't have left… _She would think some unreasonable thought about her parents daily. Did they even notice her missing for three days? Or were they too busy with their broken relationship? _It must be my fault…_

"Maka?" Tsubaki asked as they arrived at the mall via foot. "Are you there?"

"Huh?" Maka looked up and realized they were already there. "Sorry, Tsubaki. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"My parents," Maka followed Tsubaki at her side as she walked into a store.

"You can always talk to me, you know. I'm here for you, Maka," She smiled at her.

Even though Maka felt she was trustable, she wasn't ready to trust anyone. After all, the people she trusted most, betrayed her. With her mom leaving, and her dad cheating. They'd told her that she could trust them with anything, that they loved her. How could they do that to her? Give her hope and happiness that would be brutally ripped from her grasp later, with her having no say? She had felt so helpless that night, completely helpless. And it broke her. She was a broken girl that was heading down the path of utter despair. A tear ran down Maka's cheek.

"How about this Maka?" Tsubaki said, the tear not going unnoticed by the raven-haired girl. She decided not to speak on it, seeing that Maka was still uneasy.

"Eh? Anything you like is fine." Maka said half-heartedly. When she saw Tsubaki's face fall for a split-second, before she smiled again, Maka realized she shouldn't bring Tsubaki down with her gloomy self. So she momentarily sucked it up, for Tsubaki's sake, and her own.

"_But," _Maka attempted to pick up conversation again. "it would look a lot better on you."

Tsubaki smiled for real this time, and said, "Let's go find more and try some on! I saw this top that would look great on you!"

The day went on like that, them going into stores, laughing, smiling, and having a good time, keeping the bad thoughts at bay for awhile.

* * *

Around 5:00 p.m. that day, Tsubaki had gone home, and Maka walked back to Soul's apartment, still happy at first. But, she couldn't keep her mind out of the darkness forever. And as she walked, the same thoughts she'd forgot about for awhile came back. What always seemed to be on her mind, though, was whether her parents noticed she was gone, whether they cared or not. Even though she'd probably never admit it, she just wanted to know that someone _really _cared. As she approached the door, she didn't realize she was silently crying. She'd just opened the door (it happened to be open), dropped her shopping bags on the floor, and somehow arrived in a bedroom, laid down on a bed, and cried.

_Soul_

Soul was listening to music on his couch with his eyes closed, when Maka walked in. He didn't notice her because she was so quiet, and possibly because his ears were being blasted with noise. She slipped past unnoticed without even trying.

A few moments past before he decided to relocate to his room to listen to music and screw around on his phone there, when he found the door closed. So of course, he opened it, not expecting to see what he saw in the least. He didn't know what to do when he found Maka crying on his bed. So he just acted on impulse, the first thing that came to mind.

_Maka_

She hadn't truly let out all her feelings in such a long time. She'd always held it in, so not to disturb others. Plus, with her parents divorcing and whatnot, there was even more raw emotion coming out of her.

Suddenly, she felt something pull her up, and then felt it wrap around her. Maka tensed at first, not knowing what it was, but soon found herself relaxing at the warm embrace. And she felt cold, so, so _cold_. When she realized she was leaning against a body (that couldn't be anyone's but Soul's), she turned herself, and leaned against him with her head on Soul's warm chest. _So warm…_

With Maka in between Soul's legs, laying on his chest, she soon fell to a much-needed sleep. Soul looked at the girl that he'd somehow managed to calm down. She was in his lap, fast asleep. He didn't want to wake her, because she looked so peaceful. A whole lot different than she did when she was crying. Her face was still sort of flushed, her eyes red, but she looked calm. They hadn't spoken while Soul held her, so he could only wonder, why she was crying and displaying so much vulnerability and emotion.

* * *

Maka woke up before Soul did, in his lap. She definitely felt better, but she was still sort of embarrassed at being held by Soul the night before and when she woke. It was comfortable though, so she stayed in his arms for awhile, just thinking. Her head hurt a little from crying so hard. _I let out tears in front of a guy…_ Maka honestly didn't know what to think of Soul. In the past 3 days, he seemed like he cared for her, but she'd been with her father since she was born, and he'd deceived her, and her mom. _But he didn't seem to mind that I cried... Maybe… Just maybe, he could be…_

She didn't finish that thought. But Maka knew he'd done a lot for her, whether he really cared or not. So, she got up from his arms, slowly, so not to wake him, and got to work.

When Soul woke up in the late morning, he was surprised to find his apartment clean. He yawned, walked to the kitchen, and searched in the fridge for something to eat for breakfast.

"You're up! I cleaned your apartment for you," Maka smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Soul said tiredly.

"... Did you not want me to?" Maka said, almost sounding hurt.

"No its not that, I'm just not a morning person. I appreciate it, really. Thanks," He gave a reassuring smile.

"Really? I'm glad," She smiled appreciatively. As Soul made breakfast, Maka thought about the last night, again. More so about Soul. He seemed to guard himself, too. _Just like me…_ That's when she realized something, and because of it, a few tears spilled from her eyes, but she fiercely wiped them away.

"Hey, I'm done now… Are you okay?" He asked. He looked really concerned. He looked so darn concerned, she really wanted to cry again. _It's all fake… I can't tell the truth…_

"Y-yeah.."

"Are you sure? You don't look very okay, at all." _He… How did he know? Am I still crying?_

As she thought about it, one tear slipped, then another, until she was sobbing. She fell to the floor, and hid her face in her hands as she cried.

**A/N:** Again: I'M SO SORRY I TOOK FOREVER IN UPDATING! PLEASE FORGIVE ME~!

There will be some cuteness next chapter, be prepared! Tell me your thoughts and leave a review! Nt may seem to be going fast, but it's honestly not going that fast. It's not like they're getting together next chapter… but you won't know unless you read it O-O It won't take as long as this chapter did, I already wrote some of it. Thanks for reading!


End file.
